Ice Trap!: Shackleton's Incredible Expedition

Alison Mews is co-ordinator of the Centre for Instructional Services at
Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Ice Trap! tells the amazing survival story of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s
failed attempt to walk across the Antarctic continent. On its approach
to Antarctica, Shackleton’s ship was caught in pack ice, drifted with
the ice, and eventually sank. It took 15 months before the men reached
solid ground. Leaving the rest on an uninhabited island, Shackleton and
five men traveled 800 miles through frigid conditions to fetch help.
They finally managed to rescue the stranded men without a single life
lost.

Beginning with an exchange between Shackleton and a teenage stowaway,
Hooper draws readers into the narrative. She uses similes to convey the
seriousness of the situation (e.g., the ship was stuck fast in the ice
“like a nut in a chocolate bar”), and fully describes the cold and
hunger (they had to shoot the dogs, eat penguins, and a teenager lost
his toes to frostbite). A map on the endpapers traces the voyage and a
timeline with photographs provides additional information. Here we learn
that the expedition did cause the loss of three lives—the men who were
to provide Shackleton with supplies at his original destination.

Robertson’s wonderful paintings in white and intense blues reinforce
the extreme coldness of the icy landscape. His indoor scenes illustrate
the cramped quarters as well as the camaraderie of the men. The golden
glow of the weak sun in the final scene welcomes the rescuers and
indicates a brighter future. Highly recommended.